Automatic tack and lath-nail machine.



No. 667,279. Patented Feb. 5, l90l.

.J. H. YEAKEY.

AUTOMATIC TACK AND LATH NAIL MACHINE.

(Application filed May 5, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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{UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY YEAKEY, OF BEDDING, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC TACK AND LATH-NAIL MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 667,279, datedFebruary 5, 1901.

Application filed May 5, 1898. Serial No. 679,870. (No model-l To aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY YEAKEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Redding, in the county of Shasta, State of California, haveinvented a new and useful Tack and Lath-Nail Machine, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to tack or nail carrying machines, and it hasspecific reference to devices for carrying a number of nails or tacks ina convenient position for successive use by a mechanic, the tacks ornails being discharged successively to a receiver, from which they aretaken one by one by the operator.

The object of the invention is to provide a construction in which thetacks or nails may be easily and quickly placed from the hopper to thefeed tube or slot and may be then discharged to the receiver bymanipulation of a magnetized hammer which when withdrawn from thereceiver will raise a tack or nail therefrom.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from thefollowing description and include means for discharging slivers orheadless nails or tacks from the carrier.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the apparatus and a portion of itscarryingbelt. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of theapparatus, the discharging position of the carrier being indicated indotted lines. Fig. 3 is a section taken longitudinally of thefeed-chute. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3 and showing thecorrelative shapes of the feed-operating cams. Referring now to thedrawings, the present apparatus comprises a casingincluding a preferablyrectangular hopper 5, from one side of which leads an arm 6, having alongitudinal slot 7 therein, said slot communicating with the hopper atthe upper end thereof.

In the slot 7 is disposed a feed-chute comprising parallel plates 8 and9, which are connected at their outer ends, this chute beingslanted,with its outer end below itsinner end, so that tacks or nailsthat may be supplied thereto with their tails between the plates 8 and 9and their heads resting upon the upper edges of said plates may slidefreely down the plates to rest with the lowermost nail or tack againstthe connection of the outer ends of the plates. The chute has acovering-plate 10, which is disposed above the plates 8 and 9 and isseparated therefrom by an interspace sufficient to receive the heads ofthe nails or tacks, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the edges of theplate 10 being bent downwardly and then inwardly and connected withplates 8 and 9.

In order to feed the nails or tacks from thehopper to the chute, acarrier is provided. This carrier (shown at 12) consists of a plate theupper end of which is of a length to reach entirely across the hopperand engage slidably between beads 13 and 14, formed upon the inner facesof the front and rear of the hopper, as shown. Said carrier also engagesslidably a slot in the bottom of the hopper, and the lower end of thecarrier is reduced in length, so that after said carrier has been raisedvertically to the proper extent in its operation its rear portion may betilted upwardly for a purpose hereinafter explained.

Guide-slots 15 are formed in the beads 13, and with these slots areengaged pins 16 upon the carrier, the slots being of such length thatwhen said carrier is raised to bring its upper end to the height of theupper end of the chute the guide-pins will strike the upper ends of theguide-slots, and further upward movement of the forward portion of thecarrier will be arrested. At the same time, however, the rear portion ofthe carrier may be raised to tilt the carrier and cause its upper edgeto lie in the plane of the upper edge of the chute. To thus raise andlower the carrier, a knob 17 is engaged with the carrier, and the stemthereof passes through a slot in the side of the casing, this slotcomprising a lower vertical portion 18 and an upper arcshaped portion19, corresponding to the vertical and tilting movements of the carrier.When the carrier is in its lowermost position, its upper edge lies flushwith the bottom of the hopper, and in this upper edge of the carrier isformed a slot 20, extending from the front to the rear of the carrierand being continued downwardly for about one-half the depth of thecarrier, the width of the slot or groove being such as to readily admitthe tails of tacks or nails and to exclude the heads thereof, so thatthe tails will fall into the slot or groove and the heads will rest uponthe upper end or edge of the carrier. Thus if the carrier be raised fromits lower position the tacks or nails that have their tails engaged willbe raised, and when the carrier is tilted they will be dischargedtherefrom and into the chute, down which they will slide intopo; sitionto be removed.

Slivers or headless nails or tacks will drop entirely into the groove ofthe carrier and will lie upon the bottom thereof, and as the carrier istilted they will be discharged from the front end of the groove into thespace between the beads 13 and down through the slot in the bottom ofthe hopper. Thus only the good will be discharged to the chute.

The covering-plate 10, as shown, terminates short of the forward end ofthe chute, so that the head of one tack may be exposed, and to permitthe tacks or nails to successively assume this position a feed mechanismis provided and is formed and disposed for operation by the magnetizedhammer, with which the tacks or nails are lifted from the receiver atthe lower end of the chute. This feed mechanism consists of two bentfingers 21 and 22, disposed at opposite sides of the chute, the finger21 being slightly nearer to the hopper than is the finger 22, and theextremities of these fingers are passed transversely into openings inthe sides of the chute. The rear ends of the fingers are pivoted uponthe plates 8 and 9, and they are held yieldably to normally projecttheir extremities across the inclosure of the chute by means of springplates 23 and 24, which are secured to the arm 6. The arms or fingers 21and 22 are adapted to be moved to draw their extremities alternatelyfrom the slot of the chute by means of cams 25 and 26, which are forcedunder them. These cams are carried by the arms of alongitudinally-slotted tube 27, the extremities of the arms beingpivoted to the outer faces of the plates 8 and 9. The cams arewedgeshaped and are reversely disposed, so that when the arms of tube 27move upwardly cam 26 will enter under finger 22 to draw it outwardly,and at the same time cam 25 will move from under finger 21 to permit itsspring to force its extremity into the chute. When the tube 27 is moveddownwardly, cam 25 engages and moves finger 21 outwardly, and at thesame time cam 26 is moved from under the finger 22, so that its springmay project it into the chute. As the tacks or nails pass down the chutefinger 21 first stops the foremost nail, and when the tube 27 is moveddownwardly the tack or nail is released and stops against the finger 22,which is moved inwardly. When the tube then rises, finger 22 releasesthe tack or nail, which then passes from under the cover-plate 10 to theend of the chute.

The split tube 27 receives the end of the chute, as shown, so that thetack or nail at the end of the chute lies within the inclosure of thetube, and the tube is held normally at the upper limit of its movementby means of a spring-finger 28, which is of bow shape and rests with oneend against the lower side of the chute and with its opposite endagainst the lower edges of the arms of the tube 27. A screw 30 isengaged with the spring miday of its ends and is engaged with the chuteto vary the tension of the spring.

The plate 10 is of non-magnetic material, as are also the plates 8 and9, so that in extracting the tacks from the tube 27 with a magnetizedbody they may be freely withdrawn, and the tube 27 is provided with acap and lining 31 of similar material.

In connection with this apparatus there is used a magnetized hammer, andwhen a tack or nail is to be extracted the face of the hammer is broughtagainst the cap of the tube 27 and is pressed downwardly, moving thetube and actuating the feed mechanism. When the hammer is lifted, thelowermost tack or nail is lifted with it, and the tube 27 in risingunder the influence of its spring actuates the feed mechanism to supplyanew tack or nail from the covered portion of the chute to the inclosureof the tube 27.

In practice the apparatus is carried by a belt 32, worn around the waistto hold it in proper position.

It will be understood that in practice various modifications of theconstruction shown may be made and that any suitable materials andproportions may be used for the various parts without departing from thespirit of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. A device of the class described comprising ahopper, a chute leading from the hop per, feed mechanism adapted to feedtacks from the upper portion to the lower portion of the chute, anon-magnetic tube inclosing the lower end of the chute and havingpivotally-mounted arms, and means carried by the arms for actuating thefeed mechanism when the tube is moved.

2. A device of the class described comprising a hopper, an inclinedchute leading from the hopper, a carrier mounted in the hopper forvertical movement and subsequent tilting movement to lie with its upperface in the plane of the chute, said carrier having a slot to receivethe tails of tacks and to exclude their heads, feed mechanism carried bythe chute for feeding tacks from the upper portion to the lower portionthereof, a non-magnetic tube inclosing the lower end of the chute andhaving arms pivoted to the chute, means for holding the tube yieldablyin raised position, and cams carried by the arms for engagement with thefeed mechanism to operate it.

3. A device of the class described comprising, a hopper, an inclinedchute leading from the hopper, a carrier mounted in the hopper tea-m Elholding the tube yieldably in raised position and cams carried by thearms for engagement 10 with the feed mechanism to operate the latter.

JOHN HENRY YEAKEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. LAMB, JEssIE O. YEAKEY.

